


The fox's shadows

by moonlighthowl



Category: Naruto
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Anbu Uzumaki Naruto, Dark, Dark Uzumaki Naruto, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, One Shot, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slavery, kakagai friendship, poor kakashi, pre narusaku relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 12:49:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17508953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlighthowl/pseuds/moonlighthowl
Summary: Hatake Kakashi was declared dead when he went missing on a mission a couple years ago.After two years of arduous training, "Fox" receives his first official mission





	The fox's shadows

The mission was on the low end of the spectrum, as far as S ranked missions go.

 

That was what Wolf and Crow had told him immediately after they received their orders, clearly trying to reassure him. The bond he had formed with his new teammates throughout the past couple years had been unusually strong, and something he appreciated. A lot of ANBU failed their missions ( _and in most cases that also meant losing their lives_ ) because their team lacked the proper cohesion. For his part, Fox agreed with them. As far as their job of assassinations and torture went, he was lucky.

 

A few days ago, Konoha had received anonymous tips of the existence of a huge slave market close to the borders with the land of wind. Now, slavery was neither illegal nor uncommon in the messed-up world they lived in. However, because the general public would definitely react badly to that kind of thing, and panic would settle in all the villagers, it was something the Kages kept in deep secret. Even from regular shinobi.

 

 The kidnappers themselves were also extremely careful as to how they went about it, and kept their actions and “possessions” under wraps, except on small, remote villages, which they tended to rule themselves.

 

Tsunade-bachan could not care less. She had dispatched several teams, between jounin, chunin and medical ninja, to assure that  _all_  the slaves were rescued. And so off they went.

 

After that was settled, she summoned a single ANBU cell to her office. Officially and on record, they were there to escort the other groups. In reality though, their mission was something entirely different.

 

_Track and kill._

 

At first, that kind of mission had been extremely hard. Especially when the deaths didn’t happen as the result of a fair battle between two skilled shinobi. In fact most times it meant going behind the target’s back, giving them no time to react.  He snorted, remembering how foolish and young he had been, thinking everything could be solved through talking.

 

He certainly knew better now. The truth was, there were monsters in this world that could not be swayed from acting the way they did. And those were exactly the kind of people he would be going after as an ANBU. Once that realization came to him, his task was easy.

 

The guilt was still something he still had to work on, though.

 

Still, he would fulfill his mission. It had been given specifically for him to lead, and completing it would finish his training of the last two years and promote him to an active ANBU operative.

 

It had been rough, and dark, and twisted, but also rewarding. He had learned a lot about the ninja world, and achieved a pretty high level with his skills, something his sensei had proudly pointed out recently.

 

 _That wasn’t the sensei that came to his mind though_. Naruto shook his head.

 

_Anyhow._

 

It was already night by the time they reached the borders with the sand, and the infamous market was within sight, down the hill they were currently in. Immediately, crow reached for his backpack, and pulled out a roll of parchment and a paintbrush.

 

Seconds later, he was flying over the place, his chakra signature so tightly attached to his body that his teammate was having trouble keeping track of him. Crow returned minutes later, landing in front of his leader.

 

“Report” The other teenager said, simply.

 

“The market is relatively large, with around five thousand square meters of extension. It is entirely made of tents and cages, that are carefully positioned in four horizontal lines, with thin corridors in between, sir.” Crow answered.

 

Fox cursed under his breath.

 

Not only was the place pretty big, but it was also entirely made up of cheap materials that could be taken away at any given second if necessary, or even abandoned there as they were.

 

On top of that, even though that would most likely mean leaving most, if not all of the slaves behind, the closeness between the tents would allow the enslavers to move rather quickly, allowing them to hide and escape their forces, and flunk his mission.

 

_It was a very intelligent setup_ , he would have to give them that.

 

 “Any traps?” His tone was low, but clearly annoyed.

 

“None trained shinobi from a chunin level up can’t detect. It seems they weren’t expecting to deal with ninja.” He nodded.   _At least there were some good news._

 

Fox effortlessly bent his legs and pushed himself up a particularly high tree, tall enough that he could be seen by most, if not all of their party. The sight of an ANBU caught them all as a surprise, and when he signaled for everyone to stop, they did so.

 

Given the situation, he was tempted to simply execute their plan now, and end the suffering as soon as possible. He was sure the jounin and chunin teams could do an amazing job with the rescue, and no words were necessary for his own squad.

 

_However,_

 

Despite Crow’s intel being good, but there were still a lot of variables. How many people were they supposed to kill? And how were they spread out, exactly? Not to mention the slaves themselves. Going in blindly like this could end up very badly, and some of the targets could escape. Worse than that, they could use the mess as a distraction, and take some of the slaves with them.

 

The thought made his stomach swirl. Putting innocent lives at stake was something he wasn’t willing to do.

 

His team followed his lead, and made themselves visible to the other ninja. Allowing everyone a second to process the information, he started.

 

“We’re here on the Hokage’s orders to assist you.” He assured them. “Can all the team leaders please step forward so we can discuss something?”

 

It wasn’t very long before a small group of powerful shinobi was standing before him, on the opposite tree.

 

“What’s this about?” Asuma sensei asked, carefully.

 

Taking the cue, the fox masked ANBU informed all the jounin what Crow had discovered, and that he and his team would be going in now, to access the situation only. It was decided that once they were back with the necessary intel, a new strategy would be formulated so that all the slaves were taken away as quickly and efficiently as possible.

 

And after that was done,  _it was ANBU’s turn to party._

 

He left that part out, of course.

 

The team leaders agreed with his reasoning, and swiftly, with a little help of Captain Tenzou’s ( _or as he was right now, Yamato’s_ ) special skill, them and their teams were all settled down for the night.

 

“We’re ready to go, sir” Wolf said, keeping her eyes on the four tall houses with Konoha’s symbol engraved in them. Most of the leaf ninja had already made themselves at home, clearly in awe of not having to spend their nights in a tent once again.

 

Fox turned his back to them, facing the direction of the market. Next to him, Crow and Captain Tenzou watched expectantly. H

 

“Then let’s-“

 

“Naruto!” A female voice called, from somewhere behind him.

 

“Sakura-Chan. We have discussed this. When I’m on duty, you have to call me Fox” He replied, only half annoyed. Sakura stopped running towards him, and rolled her eyes.

 

“As if not everyone in this mission knows who the blonde kid in a fox mask is.  _Baka_ ” he winced.  _She had a point_. Once they got back to Konoha, maybe he should apply for a different mask.

 

 He heard his squadron laugh in amusement, but ignored them.

 

“Fine. What is it?” He turned, finally taking her in.

 

ANBU had their own rooms inside their headquarters, which was in turn located underneath the village. As such, his small apartment that the Hokage would rent for him was long gone. On top of that, ANBU in training would spend most of their time in the forest, polishing their skills and patrolling. It was no exaggeration to say he had not seen her much, if anything at all within the past three years.

 

Yet all that time apart couldn’t hide the fact she had grown into a beautiful woman, and a strong one too, if commanding the medical division in a S ranked mission was any indication.

 

To his surprise, she leaned in.

 

“Be careful” She said, tightening her arms around his neck. Her bright pink hair smelled of roses, and rubbed softly against his face. He hugged back.

 

“I will.” He promised, happy that he was wearing a mask for the second time that night, because his cheeks were burning. She let go of him, emerald green eyes clouded with sadness for a brief second.

 

“He would have been proud” It was practically a whisper. He felt a tug at his chest.

 

The last time Naruto had seen  _him_ , was when he was carried back to Konoha after his battle with Sasuke. After that, between the Hokage’s obsession with keeping everyone’s impression that Konoha hadn’t been weakened by Orochimaru’s attack, and ero sennin taking him away to train, he hadn’t even been able to say goodbye.

 

He remembered being excited to finish his training trip, and show sensei what he had learned. And despite the fact it took two years less than originally intended, it had already been too late. He inhaled deeply.

 

“Of both of us” he added. Surprise filled her face instantly, before a genuine smile reached her lips.

 

“Fox” Tenzou started, breaking up their little moment. “We have to go” he gave one short nod in acknowledgement, and made his way back to his comrades.

 

She did not move from her spot. He turned his head slightly.

 

“I’ll be back. I promise”

 

And just like that, the four ANBU disappeared in the darkness.

 

* * *

 

 

Once they reached the edge of the forest, they stopped again. Naruto quickly gathered natural energy, something he had gotten progressively good at, and entered Sannin mode.

 

“How many of them are there?” Tenzou asked, lowly. The enslavers, he recognized instantly, had some weird version of chakra. It wasn’t enough to make them Shinobi, but it was dark and deep, hard to focus on for long.

 

“Around 40. And the slaves...” He forced himself to ignore the cool darkness emanating from all over camp, and turned his attention to the smaller, weaker points of chakra. Thankfully, they seemed to be gathered together, forming only two large auras. That would be helpful in the extraction.

 

 

Regardless, fox extended his reach as much as he could, focusing harder on the individual chakra signatures, and projecting that over the remaining areas, hoping to locate more of them, in case some split from the main group. He was about to give up and rule that option out, when something very familiar reached his senses.

 

His heart skipped a beat.

 

“Fox?  _Naruto_ , what is it?” Tenzou asked, a little more urgently, bringing him back to reality.

 

“Two large groups. Maybe something around 60 of them, spread in cages on the east and west. There are around 30 of our targets scattered around. We have to make sure though” Naruto stammered out, at once.

 

Wolf tilted her head.

 

“Wha-“

 

“Captain, you go to the east. Crow, you take the west. Wolf, take the south. And I will take the North. We will meet in the middle and head back out” He added, cutting his teammate off. Not waiting for a reply, he lunged forward, disappearing in the night soon as his feet touched the ground.

 

Tenzou sighed.

 

“Typical”

 

* * *

 

 

Stealth was also not one of his best traits. He had been a loud, obnoxious blonde kid, with bright orange clothes, and an attitude to go with it.

 

It was precisely why that skill was one of the things that had been hammered the most into him when he joined the organization.

 

“A loud ANBU is a dead ANBU” his superiors had said. And true to their word, several of the beginners he had joined with had died by doing so much as stepping on an old leaf at the wrong time.

 

He had mourned them deeply. But had also learned the lesson.

 

It was the only reason he was keeping the slightest bit of discretion as he sprinted towards the very specific, very familiar Chakra he had felt. It was faint, and due to his discretion, sennin mode was running out of time. He forced himself to mask his chakra signature even further, and picked up the pace.

 

 _Still..._ it couldn’t be _. Could it?_

 

He had been briefed on stories of Shinobi that could replicate these signatures, and attract their enemies to their deaths. The ninja never even knew what hit them. As a rule, those signatures would often have some sort of flaw or mistake on them, and it would be easier to identify that the closer you got to the source.

 

That wasn’t the case here, though.

 

 There were no mistakes. No breaks, and nothing suspicious about it, if not the fact that it was fading.  _Fast_. In the end, he stopped right in front of a generic tent, just like all the others. There was no illumination coming from the inside, and his view was blocked by fabric, that was cut in the shape of a door.

 

Alert to the million senses that had been triggered in his mind at the sight, he stopped, and checked his surroundings.  _Nothing._

 

He focused his senses on the tent, and around it.  _Nothing._  It was only that specific, very clear signature. There also didn’t seem to be traps, or anything of the sort scattered throughout the camp, safe from the ones immediately outside; As Crow had predicted, these traders were definitely not Shinobi, nor were not experienced enough to know how to defend themselves from them.

 

Feeling safe enough, Fox reached for the closed off opening, and quietly slid inside.

 

What Naruto saw would remain on his mind forever.

 

The tent reeked of blood, alcohol and feces. In fact, he could see most of that scattered around, even up the walls. Stopping himself from gagging, he glanced around, checking for traps or enemies, but there were none.

 

The tent was indeed empty, aside from a single man.

 

He was naked. Completely naked, and shacked with chakra inhibiting chains to a post in such a way he couldn’t close his legs, and his arms hung above his head mercilessly. Naruto’s eyes settled on the man’s chest. He was still breathing. Shallow, rigged breaths, that were probably consequence of the position he was tied in, but alive regardless.

 

Under the very dim light of the moon that was bathing the inside, he could see there were absolutely no scars on his face, safe from the one on the left side, that apparently ran all the way down to his cheek.

 

_He had always wanted to see his teachers’ face._

 

Sennin mode had faded by now, and the chakra inhibiting shackles on the man made it impossible for him to sense the man’s signature. It was just him, and the completely broken figure before him. His heart sunk.

 

He wanted,  _needed_  really badly to be wrong about this.  _His sensei was dead_. Had been for years, and his mind was playing tricks on him, because there was _no way_ an S rank jounin of the leaf could end up in this place. Not like this.

 

The familiar silver hair, which was coated in dirt and blood, left absolutely no doubt of who it was, though.

 

“Kakashi sensei?” He half said, half whispered.

 

 The man did not meet his eyes, or move at all for that matter. His right eye was open, but he was clearly completely spaced out.

 

Naruto stepped closer, letting the door of the tent fall completely shut behind him. Leaving him in complete darkness.

 

Reacting to the possibility of danger, kyuubi’s chakra fired up on his chest, heightening his vision and allowing him to see perfectly. And now that he was closer, he could see the endless bruises covering his sensei’s lower body and legs, particularly around the hip area.

 

He gritted his teeth, and pushed back the demon’s soft whispers that told him he should “ _rip everything and everyone apart right now._ ”

 

 _He would do all that and more_ , he thought back, what seemingly soothed the fox. But first, he needed to help his sensei.

 

Kakashi seemed to finally register that there was someone else with him in the tent. His eye focused, and he tried pushing his body back as far as it could go, which was practically nothing more than he already was. Despite that, the chains around his arms rattled loudly.

 

“Shhh” Naruto hissed instinctively, regretting it immediately, as that only made his former sensei flinch further.

 

Fox stilled, listening for anyone that was possibly coming over.  _No one did._

 

He took a long, deep breath.

 

“Hatake Kakashi, I’m part of Konoha ANBU. Don’t worry. You’re safe” His voice had deepened somewhat with time, meaning it would be hard to recognize for someone that hadn’t seen him in a while. There was also no way he could let the other man sense his signature, both because of the chains and the danger.

 

Keeping things clear and professional was apparently no better, though, and the silver haired man shook violently against his bonds, his single wide eye so horrified it burned into Naruto’s soul.

 

Cursing himself for this, but aware they did not have a lot of time, he moved closer, and gently held his sensei by the shoulders. The gesture was enough to keep him in place and in turn stop the rattling. It was only then he realized how malnourished the other man was.

 

“No...no” Kakashi struggled, weakly. His voice was extremely hoarse, as if he hadn’t had anything to drink in a very long time.

 

_God. What have they done to you?_

 

“It’s okay, sensei. It’s okay. It’s me. Naruto.” He let go of the other’s left shoulder, and used his free hand to rise the mask to his hair.

 

Finally, Kakashi’s eye showed the slightest bit of recognition, and he stilled completely.

 

“Naruto...?” He asked, opening his other eye. It was a relief to see his Sharingan was still intact. Yet another proof whoever was keeping him here was not a Shinobi. It quickly fell shut, though, as if keeping it open demanded way more energy than he could offer.

 

“Yes. It’s me” It seemed the other man had spent enough time in the darkness to be able to see well in it, because Kakashi was studying his face now, and relief washed over his eye on a level that made Naruto’s eyes watery.

 

“You got… tall” he commented, quietly. Naruto smiled, keeping his tears from falling.

 

“Yes, I did,  _dattebayo_ ” His little word mark made Kakashi’s open eye soften. It didn’t last long, though.

 

“What…are you… doing…’ere?”

 

“It’s a mission. Tsunade ba-Chan sent us here to save...” Naruto hesitated, not wanting to say that word in front of him. Not how he was now.

 

“The slaves” Kakashi finished anyway, shrinking in himself.

 

“Not anymore, you’re not. You’re coming with me” And he meant it. Tomorrow be damned _. There was no way he was going to leave his sensei in here for another second._

 

Letting go of Kakashi’s shoulders, Naruto made a couple hand seals.

 

Being an Uzumaki, he learned, meant he was able to do and undo very powerful seals. He placed his hands over the cuffs of the chains on the other man’s arms, making them shatter with ease. He did the same to the ones on his legs.

 

Kakashi collapsed the second he was free, but Naruto was there to grab him and lower him to the floor gently.

 

Surgically looking around the room, he found a huge piece of cloth that resembled a blanket towards the back. It seemed clean enough, cleaner than anything else in that place anyway. He ripped a small piece of it, before wrapping the remaining part around Kakashi’s shoulders.

 

The piece of fabric he had taken went around the bottom end of Kakashi’s face. By the time he was done, the jounin’s eyes had glassed again.

 

They needed to get back to Sakura.  _Soon_. Naruto slid his own mask back over his face.

 

Having wasted too much time in the tent as it was, he hurriedly made more hand signs.

 

“Kage bunshin no Jutsu!” A single clone that looked exactly like him appeared.

 

“Go meet the captain and the others, and bring them back to the camp. I have to hurry”

 

“You got it!” The copy replied, before rushing out the door.

 

Naruto gently picked his sensei up, being careful to make sure as much as possible of his body was covered. Once again, he was taken aback by how little he weighted.

 

He tightened his grip around the other man.

 

Bending his head slightly, he got out of the tent, mercifully breathing the cool night air before hoping to the top of it.

 

It took him a single second to analyze where he was, before taking a sharp turn left, and darting straight out of the camp and towards the forest.

* * *

 

 

“Sakura Chan!” He howled, not bothering to keep it low now that they were back into safety.

 

Sakura was out of the wooden house further away from him in seconds. He made his way to her, avoiding the leaf shinobi from the other squadrons that had opened their cabin doors as well, clearly ready to fight back against possible enemies.

 

Suddenly feeling exposed, he turned his back to them, allowing only Sakura to see the glint of silver hair.

 

She froze.

 

“Is that...?”

 

“Yes. And he needs help” That seemed to be enough to make the medical ninja in her awaken.

 

“Bring him inside. Hurry.” She held the door open wider, letting it fall shut the second Naruto slipped past her.

* * *

 

 

Once Sakura-Chan had registered the seriousness of the situation, she insisted on taking care of him by herself, Naruto being the exception. There was no way they would allow anyone else to see him like this. It was what he would have wanted, if he was awake.

 

Yamato's house consisted of only two rooms on the upper floor, and luckily Sakura had ordered all medical nin to sleep in only one of the rooms, leaving the other for possible patients. Naruto had laid Kakashi down on a makeshift bed they had prepared for that, and Sakura had begun working. Bruised ribs, broken right humerus, and his reproductive and digestive systems-

_God,_ he smelled awful. A single look towards Naruto was all it took for him to grab a bucket and a sponge.

 

They worked silently after that. Both of them focused on saving someone they thought they had long lost, both doing their best not to cry.

 

It wasn’t long before the white sheets turned a shade of dark brown. Once they were both done with fussing over sensei, Naruto picked his limp body again, and Sakura cleaned the bed. After she was done, she covered him with a clean blanket, and hooked an IV to his arm. She also reached into one of the cabinets, and pulled out a box of masks, which she handed Naruto.

“You saw his face, didn’t you?” He shook his head affirmatively. 

 

“Then replace the mask you made for a clean one. I would do it myself, but I-“ She squeezed her eyes shut. Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder.

 

Tsunade had taught her a lot about patients, and keeping a straight face in front of them. “It is one of the most important parts of being a doctor” She said. Regardless of the diagnosis, or the condition they were in, doctors were to be calm, and reassuring not only to the patient, but to their families and friends as well.

 

She just had forgotten to mention her sensei would come back from the dead and in that state.

 

“It’s okay. I got it.” The touch was enough to ground her, and get her emotions under control.

 

 But until Naruto nudged her shoulder again and handed her the box, she kept her eyes closed.

* * *

 

 It was almost morning by the time Kakashi sensei woke up again. His eyes widened at first, instinct kicking in, and if he hadn’t been as weak as he was, Sakura was pretty sure both she and Naruto would be dead.

 

As it was, all he could do was take in his surroundings. Slowly, the layer of fear was replaced by calm.

 

“How are you feeling?” Sakura asked, kneeling by his side once he seemed calm enough. She reached for his face on impulse, but he cringed. She recoiled her hand instantly.

 

“Better” he offered instead, hoping that would be enough. His voice already sounded better than when Naruto had saved him.

 

Being more awake also meant he was more guarded, it seemed.

Once upon a time, that would have been a relief for both Naruto and Sakura. It was that guard that had made the two genin grow up with the idea that their teacher and friend was strong enough to protect them, and himself, and he could never break. Seeing his collected and calm resolve even in the most desperate situations would mean that maybe things would be okay. 

 

It had been like that with Zabuza. It had been like that with the chunin exams, and it had been like that with Sasuke. 

 

They were no longer genin, though. And sensei was not nearly well enough to keep his students from seeing how broken he was this time.

 

As if aware of what her thoughts, he looked away from her, and at the tubes coming out of his left arm.

 

“You’re getting some fluids for your dehydration, and I also gave you some pain meds.” Sakura said, softly.

 

“We also don’t have everything we need to treat  _all_  your wounds here“ She dangerously lowered her tone, as if afraid anyone that was not Kakashi himself or Naruto would hear.

 

He did not meet her eyes. 

 

“But we will be going back to Konoha soon” Naruto added, reassuringly. Whether that was aimed at her, or at their former teacher, Sakura had no idea.

 

 Kakashi looked past her to his other student for the first time since he woke up though, and his questioning gaze fell on Naruto’s uniform.

 

Noticing it, the blonde smiled. “Yeah. I’m ANBU now. Well... in training. I wanted to tell you when it happened, but-.” He was cut off by Sakura's fist connecting with his head.

 

"SAKURA CHAN, WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" He whined, scratching his head where her fist had landed.

 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WHAT? Don't just bring what happened back like that, _BAKA_!" She howled, clearly outraged. Their argument was broken off by a single amused snort coming from the bed, though. 

 

“Thank you, Naruto. Sakura.” His words were short, but sincere. He smiled with his eyes. 

 

“No problem, sensei. I’m really happy to have you back.” Naruto beamed.

 

“Me too.” Sakura added, on the same tone.

 

That seemed to be the limit of their teacher’s energy for now. Apparently satisfied with their answers, his right eye closed and he dozed off again. Naruto turned his head towards Sakura to complain again about the punch, but didn't get the chance to. 

 

“Fox” Wolf called from the outside, clearly respecting the boundaries his teammate set. Naruto turned his head, but he did not open the window.

 

“What is it?”

 

“I hate to break up your reunion, but it’s time. We are all waiting for you” Suddenly aware of his responsibilities, he got up, and reached for the table, where his mask was, along with the dirty cloth he had used earlier. He took that as well.

 

Deciding it would be best not to use the door, he gently opened the window, and put his mask back on.

 

His his eyes fell back on his sleeping sensei for a second, and then on Sakura. She smiled.

 

“We’ll be okay. Go” he gave one short nod, and adjusted the sword on his back. The next moment, he was gone.

 

* * *

 

 “How is he?” Gai asked, the second he and Wolf reached the other teams.  _Yep. He definitely needed a new mask._

 

Bushy brow sensei was visibly anxious, and that anxiety was reflected on his old friends, as well as their respective sensei, all of which were staring at him expectantly. He wanted to be mad that everyone apparently knew who he had brought back, but he supposed it was his own fault. He did arrive screaming like a maniac with a body in his arms in the middle of the night.

He was glad he had sent a bunshin after his captain instead of going after him, or he would have been torn apart.

 

“Sakura Chan examined him last night, and tended his wounds. They will all probably heal perfectly.” He left any details aside, as well as the fact he had sponge bathed him. That would always be a secret meant for team 7 alone.

 

“Ah! What a relief to hear my rival will thrive once again!” Tears fell freely from Gai’s eyes, and they were mirrored in Rock Lee’s. The remaining of them seemed to visibly relax as well.

 

“What about the emotional ones?” Asuma asked. Naruto grimaced, happy for the mask once again.

 

His silence was pretty telling regardless.

 

“I see” Asuma sighed. He reached for his back pocket, and pulled out a box of cigarettes.

 

“Troublesome” Shikamaru added, shrugging with his hands on his pockets. After so long together, he had practically become a younger version of his sensei.

 

Naruto really wished he could say he wasn’t jealous.

 

“He has been fading in and out. We don’t know how bad it is yet” He tried to sound as reassuring as possible, but he knew as well as the rest of them that Kakashi’s mental health could go either way. All he could do at this point was protect him. And he would. With his life.

 

“Let’s hope he makes a speedy recovery. For now though, let’s focus on our mission.” Kurenai intervened, saving him from the questioning.

 

“Yes ma’am” they all replied, in one voice.

 

The rescue mission was a success. With every team distributed evenly through the four corners of the market, all of the slaves were recovered and taken to the medical team, before they were properly freed. Most of them only had minor physical injuries, and the more severe ones would be taken to Konoha for long term treatment.

 

The second the market was clear of innocents, ANBU stepped up. Fox did not spare chakra on making enough clones to surround the area, and certify that none of the enslavers would escape.  With his current level of skill, he had easily and successfully forced them into retreating to camp, and hiding in the tents.

 

Pleased with that, he let go completely, and his eyes acquired a very bright red tone underneath the mask.

 

* * *

 

 

Once he came to his senses again, he was lying in a pool of a warm, bright liquid.

 

Fox pushed himself up wordlessly, ignoring Tenzou’s pitiful look from a nearby tree. With his hair sticking to his face, and the bottom edge of his uniform dripping slowly with every step, he faded into the woods, senses focused on making sure he moved towards the nearest river.

 

By the time Naruto had returned to camp, everyone was already packing up. Now fully clean and alone ( _his team had orders to head back to Konoha as soon as they were done, as to avoid suspicion from other villages_ ), he returned to the medical cabin, to a Sakura-chan that fussed over and scolded him for being so careless, and a sensei who despite everything seemed relieved to see him alive and well.

 

And for a brief moment, he felt like his 12-year-old self again.

 

“Let’s go home” He said, brightest of the smiles on his face.

 

Though they were still not allowing visitors (or curious eyes), they had definitely welcomed it when Gai came over with one of his spare jounin vests, as well as one of Asuma’s shirts, and pair of pants. He respectfully stayed outside the room, but had offered to carry his rival back home as fast as he could, an offer they politely refused after seeing the panicked look on the gray-haired man's face.

 

The new clothes went along with Naruto’s black ANBU forehead protector, which Kakashi only accepted once Naruto had shown him he had a spare, in the form of his old blue genin one. Was it not for the white medical mask, and the fact the clothes were far too big for him in his current state, Kaka-sensei looked just like his old self.

 

After the last of the medical nin left, Sakura approached Naruto, and the both of them agreed to give their sensei a couple more days to get well enough so that he would make the trip. They had warned the Hokage, who sent his ANBU team back the second she got that information, to assure they would make it home safely.

 

They had all kept their distance from the tent, and politely waited until Naruto was outside if there was something they wanted to talk to him about. Including offering comfort. It was something he was extremely grateful for.

 

When it was time to go, Sakura and Naruto had helped their sensei to his feet, and they both watched as he took tentative steps in shaky legs outside of the cabin.

 

It wasn’t too long before they gave in.

 

Naruto was there in an instant, preventing him from falling face first on the ground, and replacing that with his cushioned back.

 

“Naruto...” Kakashi huffed, embarrassedly. He tried to push himself off, but his student stopped him.

 

“Just hold on to me” The younger man replied, innocently. Seeing no alternative, Hatake wrapped his good arm around his student’s neck, and Naruto held on to his tighs, carefully avoiding the bruises. He did his best not to flinch at the touch.

 

And like that, with Sakura following closely behind with a bag filled with medications, and an ANBU squadron that remained entirely out of sight, team Kakashi began their journey back home.

 

* * *

 

They must have been within a kilometer from the leaf when the equivalent of the ANBU in terms of medical nin surrounded the trio. They asked everything about Kakashi’s medical status, something Sakura promptly took care of, as well as making sure they knew she would be the one responsible for his treatment.

Seeing as she was the student of the legendary medical sannin, and had just successfully finished a S rank rescue mission with no casualties, they had no choice but to comply. 

 

“Now, where have I seen this before?” Naruto teased, only loud enough so that Kakashi could hear.

He still remembered how warm and protected he had felt on his sensei's back. Despite the fact only three years had passed, Naruto knew he had been extremely young then. Too innocent. Too filled with certainty, which had just been completely shattered, leaving him covered in grief for Sasuke. 

 

One of these things still remained.

 

“Shut up” Kakashi replied, on the most coherent tone they had heard so far.

 

And for the first time since this horrible mission, Naruto laughed. 

 


End file.
